Yesterday, Central Scouting released its final rankings for the 2026 NHL draft. Leading the way regarding North American skaters & goaltenders is the CHL, boasting 197 current players on those lists. The WHL’s 78 players (69 skaters, 9 goaltenders) is the leading major junior contributor, followed by the OHL’s 76 competitors (65 skaters, 11 goaltenders) & the QMJHL with 41 (35 skaters, 6 goaltenders). Former CHL players Gavin McKenna (#1) and Keaton Verhoeff (#4) are not included here, as they have both moved on to the NCAA (McKenna is at Penn State, Verhoeff is at North Dakota).
The US National Team Development Program also made its presence felt in these rankings. Twelve of its thirty rostered players appear in these rankings, including two projected first-rounders (forwards Wyatt Cullen [#13] & Casey Mutryn [#24]), and a total of seven players in the first three rounds. In the crease, Brady Knowling is the top-ranked North American goaltender in these rankings, a spot he has maintained since the mid-term rankings.
The top CHL draft prospect is the OHL’s Chase Reid, a d-man for Sault Ste. Marie, occupying the #2 spot. Highlighting the sheer number of elite d-men in this draft, Reid has secured the top rating among them, overtaking Verhoeff for the second spot. To further accentuate this point, d-man Carson Carels of Prince George in the WHL also now outranks Verhoeff at #3. Verhoeff stays in the top 5, with the #4 ranking following a most impressive freshman campaign with the Fighting Hawks.
The North American rankings provide a nice multi-national flavor to this draft, and show that not all European prospects are developed overseas. Starting with the CHL, the 24 major junior players appearing in the top 32 include 16 Canadians, 5 Americans (although Nikita Klepov is a dual Russian/US citizen, he does compete internationally for the US), 2 Czechs (Adam Novotny & Jakub Vanecek ), and 1 Russian (Egor Shilov). Likewise, of the 5 NCAA players in the top 32, 3 are Canadians, 1 is Russian (Ilia Morozov), and 1 is Finnish (Oscar Hemming). Finally, the lone USHL player in the top 32 not competing for the USNTDP is Latvian forward Rudolfs Berzkalns.